Fruit-picking machine.



.-,.f UNTTfED STATES PATENT GFEICE.

FREDERICK E. ALLEN, CE LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNCR or CNE-HALE To IMPROVEMENTS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, E EosToN', MAS- SACHUSETTS.

FRUIT-PICKING MACHINE.

' p SPECIFICATION forming part of-Letters Patent No. 659,197, dated October 2, 1900.

. A A, s Application fAiledFebrns'ry 1111898. Serial No. 669,890. lNomodel.) C

To til inkom, it may cnn/cern:

Befit known that I, FREDERICK E. ALLEN, of Lynn, c on sty of Essex, and Commonwealth of Massnohusetts, hrztveinvfented certain Improvements:,imFruitv Picking Machines, of whihfthefollowing, read in connection lwith the ecexnpztnying drawings,is aspecication.

' n'fthef-accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in perspective the machine embodying this invention. Fig. 2in en elevation in secl vtion'enlarged'.r l1ig.'3shows in perspective- .the guyfrwinding device detached. Fig. '4

shows inperspective afsection, of the shaift.

,Fig. 5f shows in elevattionI theshaft sind detail i 5r enlarged'. e

This invention comprises. three flegs or points ofv beering,\-which are connected Aby en intermediate freni'ev'vorkv a., hereinafter celled the ibase-freine, 'lwo of. these legs are, providedwithfwheels, whereon theA machine may be movedfabout, and theother leg is mede to. operaieufo'r .a handlein moving the ma,-

Achine about andor holding.V it against movenient whe'never'it isl temporarily located 'for nee.vv To this end'` snch leg` is provided with an approxinmtelysherp iron 2 for penetrating the ground. At-the central part of. .the baseframei's 'an openingwherethrough may be I socketed the pin 3, which pin isrlnly secured one end in meshfwith lThe pinion 5 and on the other end hns :t fixed sheave 10, whereon is a.

" cord-belt 1l, which also has engagement with the s hezwe l2 on the top end of shaft 4, and by moving: the cord while the pinion 5-is held. stationary the shaft 1 may beu turned@ about for shifting the position of the picker, asfurther specified hereinafter.

In the top end of Ashaft 4 is n'xed'pin' 13,' whereon is set the cup A14. The guy-rope 15 has oneend attached to the cnp14 atxthe point 16, its opposite end being engaged with :Y the. cap itt'the point 17, and from tli'ese`points its intermediate partis extended to the pointe;YV

l 18 19 on thev base-framd'where it passes over the fixed sheaves 2O 21 and along the channel I of the base-frame. At the point 22 il is connected with'a vWinder 24, (showndetached in Fig. 3,) -and by turning this' Winder the cord may be accumulated or let oi in both directions-fortighteningand loosening` the tension on cap 14;,'and by a. pin 25 the windeimay be set against movement when so desired. The other guy-rope 26'has one end fixed to thecap Maud its opposite end fixed on the hase-frein@a wth its intermediate part engaged by' the Winder 27, which may be operated for taking `up and letting ont the rope and may belocked whenever so desired by the pin28.

This arrangement insures the ends of the seid nnyv ropes from entanglement and keeps the whole Y.gear well regnlte'd for packingortrnnsporf tation landrendynse. It will now be underf stood that theshaft is irstset in position,A l

with theA pin .3 socketed in the base-frame, ns vshow'n in Fig'.1, and thereupon-y the cap Mis lifted tvo its position on the pin-13. The wind.- ers may then be turned for accumula ting the gny-rope,and consequently firm ly holdin g the shaft 4 in vertical position, as shown, und re' versingthese operations will loosen the shaft '4 to permit its removal for pnrposes of storage in times vof 'disuse or'convenience in reases of trnnsportntions. w f

0n the pickers carriage 30, which may he of anysnitable size, is n winding-drum 31, having connection with the cord"'33,which cord is made fast at the top of shaft 4 amd may he 'taken `on endiet 0E- bysuitably turning the drum 3115er .lifting and lowering the pic-kers. carriage, and connected with `the v winding-drum shaft is edrnm 34, on which is, arranged. the Strap 35 asa brake, whereby the workman can hold and regulate the unwind- `ing: of this druni,and therebycontrol the'speed of the descending 'movement wit-hout hands on the arm 65. Said arm cirriesnJ ratchetwhee'l 37, located for engagement by the pnwl 38, whereby. the-'drum may be locked against movement whenever the carriage' is 'to be retained for work at afgiven altitude.'

The' shaft thas in on'e side thereof a longi-' tudnal groeve 40, andn thej-I-.oppositetside thereof is a similar groove 4l, wherein are de. signedforftravel the guide membersAZB 44' 45,' which guide members areL 4'nl mnted -in has its bottom cnd supported for rocking -near the top end thereof a horn 50. Said horn suitable frame Vor bracket parts ou the pickcrs carriage and are carried up and down thereby. The guide members 43't5, it will be observed, are to sustain the strain in part which results from the offsetting position oi the pickers carriage with relation tothe shaft 4, as shown, and to this end said members 48 45 are jourualed for rotative movement in the respective supporting parts and perferably are also provided with faces to bear upon the shaft 4 outside f the said grooves., whereby to have broader bearing and consequently easier action. In the up and down movements of. the carriage these guide members serve to hold and guide it along the shaft 4. Thcspring 47, connecting by its top end with the bracket 4G, has its bottom end engaged to the horivlontal arm ol lever 48, which lever 4S movement on the bracket 49 and carries at or 50, projecting from the lover 4S, entering the groove 40 oi shaft 4, under the normal action of spring 47 is drawn backwardly and withheld lrom the groove by tension applied through the cord 33, which to th'at end is connected -wth the top end of lever 48, as shown. Now this cord 33, it will be noted, is the cordA from the winding-drum 31, which cord, having its end fast at the top of shaft 4, runs first downwardly through guide-hole 52 in bracket 4G, around the sheave53 in end of v lever 48, thence upwardly through guide-hole 54, around the sheave 55, and thence down-v wardly again tothe winding-drum 31. It will now be understood that the operation of the drum 31 for lifting and lowering the pickers carriage will first .strain the coi-(L33, whereby the lever 48 is drawn backwardly .against the tension of spring 47 into vertical. alinement with the guide-holes 5:2 54. 'lhis operates to withdraw the horn 50 from groove 40 during such time as the tension is applied through cord 33;`but let this tension cease for any cause, and especially in case of unexpected parting of the cord, then the spring 47 operates immediately, and thereby the horn 50 is thrown forwardly into the groove 40 to engage with some one ol.' a series of pins 60, which, it will bc understood, operates for holdingr the pickers carriage from dropping to the ground.

In operation the picker, having entered the e .the combination with a shaft, n pickers carriage, a base-frame, and means consisting of a horn and cord, and mechanism for'operat- -ing the latter for lifting and,l lowering the picket-s carriage.

3. In a. machine of the character indicated,

the combination with a. shaft, s pickerseer` ringe, a base-frame,I and means consistingof a horn, cord and drum; and mechanism for operating the latter for lifting and lowering the pickel-s carriage.

4. In a machine of-thccharacter indicated, the combination with. e shame pickers cnrriage, a bese-frame, and moans consinting of a horn, cord, springs 47, and drum and mechanism for operating the latter for lifting and lowering the pickers carriage.

5. In a machine of the character indicated, the combination with a shaft, e plclters oarriage, a base-frame, and means consisting of a horn, cord, spring, drnin, and devices 42 and 44 forlifting and lowering the piokers carriage. c

6. In a machine of the character indicated, in combination, the base-frame, the shaft, 4, having its bottom end sented in the buseframe, the cap, 14, mounted on the top' of said shaft, the guy-cords l5, 26, intermediate said cap and the base-frame, and the winders 24, 27, for adjusting the guy-cords, all snbstnm tially as described.

Signed at Lynn, Massachusetts, this 27th day of January, A. D. `1898.

FREDERICK E. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

A. M.. 'lU'r'rLE, C. l. 'lu'r'rnn 

